Should you choose manual or continuous funding on your CSE accounts?

How you choose to fund your CSE accounts is a major decision that’s often made without any thought. But if you choose the wrong funding method, you could wreak havoc on your online ROI. Get informed with the types of CSE funding, before making a decision you might regret down the road.

Choosing a manual payment plan

Manual payment plans are like gift cards. A seller loads up money on an account, and the CSE withdraws that money based on the click cost. In this format, a merchant must refill the account based on the balance of the account. Once the account dips below a certain level, the merchant has to refill it.

This comes across as rather straightforward and a likely avenue for most merchants. It’s always nice to have control over as many areas of your business as possible, but there are downsides to this method.

For starters, what if your account goes beyond that threshold at an extremely inconvenient time, such as when you’re on vacation, during holidays, or when you’re just away from your computer. What? You think you’re safe because of those automatic account reminders? Don’t rely solely on these reminders. They aren’t 100% timely, and chances are you’ve been the victim of lost e-mails at least one point in your life.

That being said, as a vigilant merchant you’ll likely check your CSEs regularly (since you don’t trust the automatic account reminders). Most merchants, however, don’t have this extra time to spare, thus checking their CSE accounts becomes a burden, or falls to the wayside.

So, what if my balance falls below that level?

This can have drastic effects on a number of your online efforts. Unlike a bank, you’re not going to be charged a fee for letting your account fall behind your threshold. However, what can (and does) happen is your account will be suspended. Even if you fix the issue immediately (meaning you fund your account), a suspended account could take up to two full days to be restored, and it can take up to 30 days to regain the positioning you have lost. This will also affect other online efforts, including ad campaigns and your rankings on SERPs (search engine results pages).

The continuous plan

The continuous method of funding your CSE takes control out of your hands, which may sound horrifying (or welcoming) to you. But if you have multiple CSEs, this method is sure to save you time and headaches. With the continuous plan, you, the merchant, gets to choose how much you’d like to load back onto your account once it falls below a certain amount.

Okay, you say, what if things get out of hand and I start incurring massive charges? Sure, that’s a fear any business owner has, however, if monitored regularly you’re going to catch these spikes when the occur.

With the continuous (or rolling, or whatever name your CSE uses) method, you free yourself up for other tasks, including periodic monitoring of your accounts to see if your set refill amounts should be adjusted. This way your CSE accounts are tools, rather than annoyances.

In the end it’s up to you

A large number of merchants prefer to have their CSE accounts funded continuously, so that they have one less issue to worry about. With the continuous method, you won’t ever have to worry about a pause on your accounts. But other merchants (particularly those with fewer CSEs) prefer to have complete control of their month-to-month spending. Whichever method you choose, the most important things to remember are, monitor you clicks and conversions, track the ROI, and KEEP THE ACCOUNTS FUNDED!

Choosing the right method can be confusing, but making the right decision will surely impact your ROI. You can always contact our experts for advice, by calling us at 1-888-277-5429 or filling out our contact form.